Maricopa County Towers Jail

Search the name in Maricopa County Inmate Search, or call the sheriff's information line at 602-876-0322 (3250 West Lower Buckeye Road, Phoenix, AZ 85009). Almost everyone is first booked at the sheriff's Intake, Transfer and Release building (2670 South 28th Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85009), southwest of downtown, then may be moved. The county also runs Lower Buckeye (3250 West Lower Buckeye Road, Phoenix, AZ 85009), Towers, Estrella (women), and the intake and release building. Staff can name the building and give the booking number.

In person only. The Superior Court (175 West Madison Street, Phoenix, AZ 85003, 602-372-5375) says bond money goes to the Bond and Fine Room inside the Fourth Avenue Jail (201 South 4th Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85003, 602-876-0322), on the northwest corner of the building. It says bonds are paid in person there, never through Zelle, Venmo or Cash App. The clerk's bond payment page lists cash, cashier's checks and wire transfers; a wire is accepted only for someone in Maricopa custody and needs the clerk's Bond Wire Form. Call 602-876-0322 (3250 West Lower Buckeye Road, Phoenix, AZ 85009) before you go.

Ask 602-876-0322 about the Bond and Fine Room at the Fourth Avenue Jail, 201 South 4th Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85003, for current hours, then check which payments they take that day. The clerk's bond page adds that bail-agent (surety) bonds and in-custody bond payments are taken 24 hours a day at the jail's north entrance, and that bonds paid to the clerk after 4:30 p.m. reach the sheriff the next business day. Carry photo ID and the booking number. Ask too about outside holds; one may keep your relative inside even with bond posted.

The Superior Court (175 West Madison Street, Phoenix, AZ 85003, 602-372-5375) says processing may take up to 24 hours after a bond is posted. Do not plan a ride for the minute you pay. Ask release staff at Intake, Transfer and Release, 2670 South 28th Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85009, 602-876-0322, which door the person will walk out of and whether there are papers to pick up.

Arizona Rule 4.1 sets a one-day clock for the first court appearance. The county's Inmate Video Appearance Center, 2670 S. 28th Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85009, 602-372-0250, is where the court connects with people in custody by video. Ask the information line for the hearing time.

It can change the court. City officers file misdemeanors in the city's municipal court, while county deputies file them in a justice court. Mesa, Tempe, Chandler, Glendale, and Scottsdale are each listed with a city jail of their own. Ask which agency made the arrest, then ask that agency's court where a bond is paid.

Maricopa County has 27 justice courts listed, named for areas such as Arcadia Biltmore, Kyrene, West Mesa, and Arrowhead. Downtown Phoenix cases go to 620 W. Jackson Street, Phoenix, AZ 85003, 602-372-6300. Mesa cases go to 222 E. Javelina Avenue, Mesa, AZ 85210, 602-372-4900, and the justice courts’ main line is 602-506-8100. Chandler cases go to 201 E. Chicago Street, Chandler, AZ 85225, 602-372-3400. The administrative office, 602-506-8530, can match an address to a court.

Each Phoenix judge sets it for that one case. Arizona Rule 7.3 requires a look at the person's own finances and bars a bail chart tied only to the charge. So a friend's number from another case means nothing. The criminal information desk at 602-506-8575 can tell you what the release order says.

Just the premium on file with state regulators, which must be posted where you can see it. Ask to see it. Collateral is held separately from the agent's money and returned after the bond closes. The Superior Court (175 West Madison Street, Phoenix, AZ 85003, 602-372-5375) never asks for bond money by phone, text, email, or social media. Hang up on anyone who does.

Sometimes. Equity, location and paperwork rules vary by court and bond company; the criminal department can explain them. Call 602-506-8575 before you hand over a deed. Ask for each term in writing.

Arizona's Constitution, Article 2, Section 22, and A.R.S. 13-3961 allow denial for capital offenses, certain sex crimes involving young children, and a felony picked up during release on an earlier felony. A felony defendant found dangerous at a hearing can be held as well, as may some people in the country illegally charged with serious felonies. Holds from other agencies can add delay.

Yes. Rule 7.4 lets a court look at the order again, including when the amount is beyond the person's means. For a misdemeanor held on bond, the court must review conditions within 10 days of the first hearing. A lawyer should ask. Collect work records, a rental lease and names of local family.

Request counsel from the judge at that first appearance. County defense offices are the Public Defender, 602-506-7711; the Legal Defender, 602-506-8800; and the Legal Advocate, 602-506-4111. The county's Public Defense Services office can sort out which one applies at 602-506-7228.

Juvenile detention is at the Durango facility (3131 West Durango Street, Phoenix, AZ 85009, 602-506-4280), 3131 W. Durango Street, Phoenix, AZ 85009, beside the Durango Juvenile Court Center, 3131 West Durango Street, Phoenix, AZ 85009, 602-506-4533. The Southeast Juvenile Court Center, 1810 South Lewis Street, Mesa, AZ 85210, is 602-506-2544. Youth files are sealed and stay out of the adult search. A detention hearing, not a bond window, decides release.

Tribes hold their own people. Salt River's corrections department is at 3213 N. Longmore Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85256, 480-362-7200. Gila River's rehabilitation and supervision department in Sacaton is 520-562-7061. Fort McDowell's police line is 480-837-1091, and that nation uses the county jails for detention.

A Phoenix no-show often means a warrant and a lost bond. Bondsmen can surrender the defendant to the jail, which under A.R.S. 13-3974 can end the agent's duty. Court-held cash usually goes back once the case closes, minus fines and costs. Premium paid to an agent is not refunded.

The Fourth Avenue bond room handles only Maricopa County and city cases. Federal charges go to the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona downtown, and county bail doesn't apply:

• Arrested people are taken to Phoenix federal courthouse, 401 West Washington Street, Phoenix, AZ 85003 (clerk 602-322-7200) to see a magistrate judge, often the next court day.
• Federal pretrial services interviews them about family, work and history.
• The judge decides release or sets a detention hearing.
• Bonds are posted through the federal clerk.

The Marshals place federal prisoners in contract jails until the case ends. Call U.S. Marshals Service, 401 West Washington Street, Suite 270, Phoenix, AZ 85003, 602-382-8768.

The sheriff's office notifies ICE of release times when a detainer is on file, but it does not hold people past their release. ICE detainers under 8 CFR 287.7 ask jails to hold someone up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released. A.R.S. 11-1051 bans Arizona counties from limiting immigration enforcement, so ICE agents may be waiting at release. Maricopa County has no public 287(g) agreement.

The county case stays active even if ICE picks someone up, and all court dates must still be kept. The ICE Phoenix Field Office, 2035 North Central Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85004, 602-257-5900 handles cases from here, and detainees are often taken to:

• Eloy Detention Center: 1705 East Hanna Road, Eloy, AZ 85131 · 520-464-3000
• Florence Service Processing Center: 3250 North Pinal Parkway, Florence, AZ 85132 · 520-868-5862
• Central Arizona Florence Correctional Center: 1155 North Pinal Parkway, Florence, AZ 85132 · 520-868-9095

Use these five:

• Sheriff's jail search: Maricopa County Inmate Search. Shows which jail, booking number and bond.
• VINE: VINELink (https://vinelink.vineapps.com/). Select Arizona; it lists county jail and state prison custody.
• BOP (320 First Street NW, Washington, DC 20534, 202-307-3198): Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator (https://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/). For federal inmates; people still in pretrial custody are tracked by the U.S. Marshals, so call 602-382-8768 (401 West Washington Street, Suite 270, Phoenix, AZ 85003).
• ADCRR (701 East Jefferson Street, Phoenix, AZ 85034, 602-542-5497): ADCRR Inmate Data Search (https://inmatedatasearch.azcorrections.gov/). State prison custody by name or number.
• ICE: ICE Online Detainee Locator System (https://locator.ice.gov/odls/). A-number and birth country; ring 602-257-5900 (2035 North Central Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85004) if nothing shows.

The criminal information desk at the Central Court Building can help:

• Central Court Building (information center): 201 West Jefferson Street, Phoenix, AZ 85003 · 602-506-3204
• South Court Tower (criminal courtrooms): 175 West Madison Street, Phoenix, AZ 85003 · 602-372-5375
• Southeast regional court center: 222 East Javelina Avenue, Mesa, AZ 85210 · 602-372-5375
• Northwest regional court center: 14264 West Tierra Buena Lane, Surprise, AZ 85374 · 602-372-5375
• Northeast regional court center: 18380 North 40th Street, Suite 120, Phoenix, AZ 85032 · 602-372-5375
• Durango juvenile court center: 3131 West Durango Street, Phoenix, AZ 85009 · 602-506-4280
• Southeast juvenile court center: 1810 South Lewis Street, Mesa, AZ 85210 · 602-506-4280

In the Valley, the badge on the arresting officer decides the courtroom. A Phoenix police (100 West Washington Street, Phoenix, AZ 85003, 602-262-6151) citation goes to Phoenix Municipal Court (300 West Washington Street, Phoenix, AZ 85003, 602-262-6421) and is prosecuted by the city prosecutor; a Mesa or Tempe ticket goes to that city’s court; a deputy or trooper stop on a freeway or in county land outside cities usually lands in the precinct's justice court. Most people are cited and released. Those who are booked, as often happens after a domestic-violence call, are brought to the Initial Appearance Court at Intake, Transfer and Release (2670 South 28th Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85009, 602-876-0322) within 24 hours, where a commissioner sets release terms. Arizona law presumes release on recognizance unless the judge finds a reason to require more.

How much punishment is possible turns on the misdemeanor’s class. Class 1, where a first DUI, most family-violence assaults and shoplifting fall, can bring six months behind bars and a $2,500 fine. Class 2 reaches four months and $750. Class 3 reaches 30 days and $500. Surcharges can nearly double the base fine. If jail is possible and cash is short, the person may request appointed counsel; most city courts contract with private defense firms, and in the justice courts the Maricopa County Public Defender (620 West Jackson Street, Suite 4015, Phoenix, AZ 85003, 602-506-7711) or contract counsel takes the case.

Many cities offer diversion for first-time shoplifting, minor drug possession or domestic-violence offenses, ending in dismissal after classes or counseling. Cases that do not settle are usually tried to the judge; a six-person jury is reserved mainly for DUI and offenses with a historical jury-trial right. A jailed person should get a trial within 150 days of arraignment, and a free person within 180. Most Valley misdemeanors are done in under four months.

Under 18: Juvenile misdemeanors are filed in the Superior Court’s Juvenile Department at the Durango or Southeast center, depending on where the youth lives. Juvenile Probation (3125 West Durango Street, Phoenix, AZ 85009, 602-506-4011) reviews each referral, and a large share of first-time offenders are offered diversion with community service, education programs or a teen court rather than a formal petition. Certain minor violations, including underage drinking, tobacco and vaping, curfew and traffic tickets, may go to a justice or city court instead. A youth taken into detention at Durango or Southeast receives a detention hearing within 24 hours once a petition is on file, and the Public Defender represents eligible juveniles. Juvenile jurisdiction ends at 18, except that the state may extend it to 19 for a 17-year-old by filing a notice before adjudication (A.R.S. 8-202).

Almost every felony arrest in the county funnels through the Initial Appearance courtroom inside the 28th Drive intake center (2670 South 28th Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85009, 602-876-0322), where judges sit 365 days a year so nobody waits past 24 hours. The judicial officer reviews probable cause for the arrest, sets release conditions or bond, and determines whether the person qualifies for appointed counsel. Maricopa County splits indigent defense among several agencies: the Public Defender, the Legal Defender, the Legal Advocate and private attorneys assigned through the Office of Public Defense Services, which allows conflict-free representation for co-defendants.

The County Attorney must then obtain a grand jury indictment or win a preliminary hearing, which Rule 5.1 requires within 10 days for jailed defendants and 20 days for those released. Maricopa relies heavily on its standing grand juries, so many defendants skip the preliminary hearing. Next comes a not-guilty arraignment, often by video for jailed defendants, then an Initial Pretrial Conference where police reports and other evidence change hands and the court picks a trial date, and a Pretrial Management Conference about four weeks before trial. Plea offers are frequently made early and can expire if not accepted. The deadline for trial is 150 days after arraignment when jailed or 180 days when not, with an eight-person jury in most felony trials.

Murder aside, which is class 1, Arizona grades felonies on a scale running from class 2 down to class 6. First offenders in non-dangerous cases are often eligible for probation; presumptive prison terms run from one year (class 6) to five years (class 2), and prior convictions raise the ranges significantly under A.R.S. 13-703. A first or second conviction for having drugs for personal use must get probation under Prop 200, and class 6 felonies may become misdemeanors under A.R.S. 13-604. Anyone sent to prison serves at least 85% of the sentence. A typical felony case in Maricopa County takes six months to a year.

Under 18: A 14- to 17-year-old charged with a non-violent felony usually faces a delinquency petition in Juvenile Court, with possible outcomes ranging from probation and treatment to commitment with the Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections. The County Attorney has the option under A.R.S. 13-501(B) to file in adult court instead when the youth is at least 14 and the charge is a class 1 or 2 felony, an enumerated class 3 felony, a dangerous offense, or any felony by a chronic felony offender. The county’s Juvenile Department works out of the Durango and Southeast court centers in Phoenix and Mesa.

Violent felony files in Maricopa County use those felony steps too, yet pretrial release is much rarer. The Arizona Constitution (art. 2, § 22) allows a no-bail hold in capital and sexual assault cases with strong proof, and prosecutors may also push for a dangerousness hearing to keep the person jailed. Defendants held without bail typically stay at Lower Buckeye (3250 West Lower Buckeye Road, Phoenix, AZ 85009, 602-876-0322) or another Sheriff’s jail for the duration.

Offenses involving a deadly weapon or serious physical injury are “dangerous” under A.R.S. 13-704, eliminating probation. First-offense ranges include:

• First-degree murder: death, natural life, or life with release possible after 25 years. The Maricopa County Attorney has historically sought death more often than any other Arizona prosecutor; capital cases require a 12-person jury and two qualified defense lawyers, often from the Public Defender’s capital unit. Executions in Arizona resumed in 2022.
• Second-degree murder: 10 to 25 years, 16 presumptive.
• Armed robbery: 7 to 21 years, presumptive 10.5.
• Sexual assault: 5.25 to 14 years with no early release, plus lifetime registration.

Victims are guaranteed participation rights under the Arizona Victims’ Bill of Rights, Article 2, Section 2.1: they are told about each key hearing, may refuse to talk to the defense, get a turn at the microphone before bail, plea and punishment rulings, and should be repaid quickly. The County Attorney’s victim services advocates help navigate these. Homicide and sexual-assault cases in Maricopa County routinely take two years or more, and capital cases often last four or five.

Under 18: A.R.S. 13-501(A) sends teens aged 15 through 17 straight to adult court for first- or second-degree murder, forcible sexual assault, armed robbery or another violent felony offense, or when a chronic felony offender commits any felony. Those teens are often held in juvenile detention (3131 West Durango Street, Phoenix, AZ 85009, 602-506-4280) while their cases proceed in the adult criminal courts downtown. For a 14-year-old accused of violence, adult court is the prosecutor's choice. The death penalty is off the table for youths, and sentencing courts must weigh age when considering life terms.

Criminal courtrooms are in downtown Phoenix, with regional centers in Mesa, Surprise and north Phoenix:

• Central Court Building (information center): 201 West Jefferson Street, Phoenix, AZ 85003 · 602-506-3204
• South Court Tower (criminal courtrooms): 175 West Madison Street, Phoenix, AZ 85003 · 602-372-5375
• Southeast regional court center: 222 East Javelina Avenue, Mesa, AZ 85210 · 602-372-5375
• Northwest regional court center: 14264 West Tierra Buena Lane, Surprise, AZ 85374 · 602-372-5375
• Northeast regional court center: 18380 North 40th Street, Suite 120, Phoenix, AZ 85032 · 602-372-5375
• Durango juvenile court center: 3131 West Durango Street, Phoenix, AZ 85009 · 602-506-4280
• Southeast juvenile court center: 1810 South Lewis Street, Mesa, AZ 85210 · 602-506-4280

The sheriff's office offers an online warrant lookup; its switchboard is 602-876-1000. DPS has a free statewide warrant search, and the Public Access case lookup covers many courts. Clear a warrant with the issuing justice, city or superior court (175 West Madison Street, Phoenix, AZ 85003), or through an attorney. The Superior Court clerk (201 West Jefferson Street, Phoenix, AZ 85003) answers at 602-372-5375. Callers demanding payment to cancel a warrant are a scam. Turn yourself in at Intake, Transfer and Release, 2670 South 28th Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85009, 602-876-0322, and post the warrant's bond once booked.

The U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona hears federal cases in downtown Phoenix:

• First appearance at Phoenix federal courthouse, 401 West Washington Street, Phoenix, AZ 85003 (clerk 602-322-7200).
• A pretrial officer meets the defendant and writes up a release recommendation.
• Prosecutors may push for a detention hearing, usually within a few days.
• Anyone kept in custody is housed by the Marshals, sometimes outside the Valley.

Questions about where a federal prisoner sits go to U.S. Marshals Service, 401 West Washington Street, Suite 270, Phoenix, AZ 85003, 602-382-8768.

• Maricopa County Inmate Search: covers the Fourth Avenue, Lower Buckeye (3250 West Lower Buckeye Road, Phoenix, AZ 85009, 602-876-0322) and other sheriff's jails. Type the last and first name.
• VINELink (https://vinelink.vineapps.com/): pick Arizona and enter the name to see custody status in any county jail or state prison.
• Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator (320 First Street NW, Washington, DC 20534, 202-307-3198) (https://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/): search a register number or name; call 602-382-8768 (401 West Washington Street, Suite 270, Phoenix, AZ 85003) for someone awaiting federal trial.
• ADCRR Inmate Data Search (701 East Jefferson Street, Phoenix, AZ 85034, 602-542-5497) (https://inmatedatasearch.azcorrections.gov/): name or ADCRR number for state prison placement.
• ICE Online Detainee Locator System (https://locator.ice.gov/odls/): A-number plus birth country; if nothing comes back, call 602-257-5900 (2035 North Central Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85004).

The sheriff's office tells ICE when a person with a detainer will be released, but doesn't hold anyone past release. A detainer asks the sheriff to keep the person up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released. A.R.S. 11-1051 bars county limits on enforcement.

Removal matters for this area are handled by ICE Phoenix Field Office, 2035 North Central Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85004, 602-257-5900. Detention sites:

• Eloy Detention Center: 1705 East Hanna Road, Eloy, AZ 85131 · 520-464-3000
• Florence Service Processing Center: 3250 North Pinal Parkway, Florence, AZ 85132 · 520-868-5862
• Central Arizona Florence Correctional Center: 1155 North Pinal Parkway, Florence, AZ 85132 · 520-868-9095